1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular control object determination system that includes an object detector for detecting an object that is present in the direction of travel of a vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed, a yaw rate sensor for detecting a yaw rate, a first travel locus estimator for estimating a future travel locus of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor and the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor, and a control object determiner for determining a control object based on a detection result obtained by the object detector, the travel locus estimated by the first travel locus estimator, and predetermined control object determination conditions.
The present invention also relates to a vehicular travel locus estimation system that includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed, a yaw rate sensor for detecting a yaw rate, a first travel locus estimator for estimating a future travel locus of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor and the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor, and an estimated travel locus output providing an estimated travel locus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-110390 discloses a system in which, in order to estimate a future travel path of a subject vehicle, a first subject vehicle travel path is estimated based on road information, a second subject vehicle travel path is estimated based on three-dimensional object information, a third subject vehicle travel path is estimated based on running conditions of the subject vehicle, a new subject vehicle travel path is calculated from these first to third subject vehicle travel paths, and a final subject vehicle travel path is calculated from a previously calculated subject vehicle travel path and a currently calculated subject vehicle travel path.
However, in this conventional arrangement, it is necessary to add new detection means such as a camera in order to estimate the subject vehicle travel path based on road information and three-dimensional object information, and further there is a case where a lane, which is primary road information, cannot be detected with good accuracy at night or when it is raining, snowing, etc., leading to a possibility that it becomes impossible to secure the accuracy with which the subject vehicle travel path is calculated. Furthermore, since the final subject vehicle travel path is calculated from the previously calculated subject vehicle travel path and the currently calculated subject vehicle travel path, there is a possibility that a time delay might occur in obtaining the final subject vehicle travel path by calculation, and the timing of identification of an object such as a preceding vehicle might be delayed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-319100 discloses a system in which a vehicle travel locus is estimated based on a yaw rate and a vehicle speed; when it is determined that the vehicle has shifted from a traveling state to a stationary state, an estimated travel locus prior to becoming stationary is kept, thereby estimating a travel locus when a vehicle that has stopped partway through a corner starts traveling.
However, when the vehicle speed is low, the output of the yaw rate sensor is unstable, and the accuracy with which the yaw rate is detected is degraded. Therefore, the reliability of the yaw rate detected immediately before the vehicle stops is low, and thus the reliability of the travel locus immediately before the vehicle stops, which is estimated based on the yaw rate, is also low. Consequently, even if an attempt is made to estimate the travel locus after the vehicle starts using this low reliability travel locus, there is a limit to the accuracy of the estimated travel locus.